Update 9/5/12: The 30,000 point offer is no longer available. The current offer is for 25,000 points.

Once each summer, for the past three years, there exists an offer so good, and so rare, that it causes quite a stir among travelers. One credit card and reward program is amazingly at the top of every major traveler awards year after year including the Freddie Awards and the Frequent Travelers University. That card is the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.

From August 7 through September 4, 2012, American Express will offer the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) credit card with an increased bonus of 30,000 points (typically 25,000 points). The points will be awarded as 10,000 bonus Starpoints after first purchase and 20,000 bonus Starpoints after spending $5,000 in 6 months. The question remains, why should one care about an offer for a measly 30,000 points when other credit cards will award you 50,000 to 100,000 miles/points?

Keep in mind, if Starwood were to dole out large piles of points, inevitably, you would need to redeem a lot more points towards a reward night. Lets look at some of the many benefits of the SPG card and program.

1) Free Night Redemption– Depending on the category of hotel, reward nights start at as little as 2,000 points per weekend night (Category 1) up to 35,000 points for a Category 7 hotel. The SPG Redeem/Transfer page also lists a great feature of a fifth reward night free. Simply redeem five nights and your fifth night is free at category 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 hotels.

2) Diversity of Brands– Among the SPG brands are Four Points, Sheraton, Aloft, W Hotels, Le Meridien, Luxury Collection, Element, Westin, and St. Regis.

3) Cash and Point Redemption– One of the best values of the Starwood AMEX and the SPG program is the cash and point option. Starwood gives guest the ability to combine a reduced amount of points per night with cash, which can have a tremendous value.

For example, lets say I wanted to stay at the St. Regis Princeville Resort in Kauai, where rooms can go for $400/night. I could redeem 20,000 points/night, but an even better option would be to redeem for the cash and points option of 8,000 points + %150 per night. So for the price of a low-end hotel in Hawaii, someone could stay in a high- end property at a reasonable rate.

4) Airline Transfer Option– Long believed one of the favorite benefits of the Starwood Preferred Guest card is the availability to transfer Starpoints into other programs at favorable rates. The SPG airline partner list includes over 30 of the major airlines. Most of the airlines transfer at a 1:1 ratio. What is even better is that if you transfer a minimum of 20,000 Starpoints, you will receive a bonus 5,000 points. In other words, 20,000 SPG Starpoints equals 25,000 airline miles. This is an excellent option to have with the SPG card, as well as select partners which one will not receive with the Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards programs.

5) Starpoints Earn Potential– Get 1 Starpoint for every eligible dollar spent. However, as a SPG cardholder, you will earn 4 Starpoints per dollar spent at SPG properties. Elite status bumps up the bonus to 5 points per dollar spent.

6) Jump Towards Elite Status– As a card holder, you will receive credit for 2 stays towards your Starwood Preferred Guest elite status and credit for 5 nights toward your Starwood Preferred Guest Elite status. This means you will only need to stay 23 stays or 45 nights to get Platinum status.

7) Referral Bonus– Have friends that are jealous of your travel lifestyle and your shiny new Starwood Preferred Guest card? Well good thing, because you can refer your friends and earn 5,000 for your own account balance. Time to start talking to all those friends on Facebook.

8) Low Annual Fee– The Starwood Preferred Guest card comes with no annual fee the first year, $65 each subsequent year. However, most people will agree the SPG card is one card worth carrying for the long-term due to the above options.

If you own a business, (even if you sell stuff on Craigslist or eBay, you own a business) you can also apply for the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express OPEN, which is also offering an increased 30,000 point offer through September 4, 2012.

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As a reminder, do not forget the SPG program is also a partner in Audience Rewards. Broadway trivia questions are issued roughly every 10-14 days, allowing you to earn free Starpoints on a consistent basis throughout the year. A couple minutes of your time can mean hundreds of points each year. To keep track of the latest questions and answers, be sure to follow our Audience Rewards page, as well as join us on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates when they are released.

Save Money, Travel More!

9/5/12- Offer updated to 25,000 points.
9/3/12- Bumped
8/7/12- Originally published.